Chimney Breast

zoemk12

We offered them £1500 to cover the cost after completing should it need doing. If it doesn’t they get £1500 of free money. They’ve come back and asked for a 7k retention! Saying they’ve spoken to several structural engineers and this is the estimate! Really? They’ve provided no documentation to support these estimates. 

We know we will need to have it looked at if we don’t sell to them but we’re almost getting to the point of preferring that so we don’t have to deal with them anymore! 

They offered 10k over asking price and it feels like they now want to claw it back. 

p_mc_2

Best option (if time permits) is to get your own quotation to install the temporary support, install a new beam on new padstones and then for making good to the plasterwork and decorations. You will also need to factor in a fee for a structural engineer to do the calcs and another fee for building regulations approval.

Finger in the air .... around £5,000 seems reasonable.

Its unlikley that there is a support beam in place as it would be difficult to contain that within the thickness of the floor.

Did your building survey pick this up when you bought the property?

zoemk12

Its unlikley that there is a support beam in place as it would be difficult to contain that within the thickness of the floor.
how would you know, (Not being funny just curious)? It’s been like this for at least 18 years so wouldn’t it start sagging? 

Did your building survey pick this up when you bought the property?

My partner brought the hse 12 years ago, didn’t have a survey! 

Justonemorecupoftea

Even if they have a £7k retention they'd only be able to take out the amount the work actually cost. So if you're quote of £1.5k is realistic then that's fine, unless you need that for your onward purchase?

How big will the holes be?

sammyjammy

zoemk12 said:

Its unlikley that there is a support beam in place as it would be difficult to contain that within the thickness of the floor.
how would you know, (Not being funny just curious)? It’s been like this for at least 18 years so wouldn’t it start sagging? 

Did your building survey pick this up when you bought the property?

My partner brought the hse 12 years ago, didn’t have a survey! 

I have a chimney breast in one of my bedrooms that was removed at kitchen level and replaced by metal support I beam, it is pretty obvious as there is a square shape at the top of the ceiling where it is contained, if someone wanted to see it for themselves I could just lift a floor board in the bedroom.

zoemk12

Even if they have a £7k retention they'd only be able to take out the amount the work actually cost. So if you're quote of £1.5k is realistic then that's fine, unless you need that for your onward purchase?

This is why I love this site, you make a very rational point. We were thinking they would get their own builders in and artificially inflate the price but actually we can insist we agree a mutually independent builder. We don’t need the funds for our onward purchase, well for our own renovations but we can wait. 

Although we still need to understand what they are including in that 7k estimate because initially they said they would pay for the structural engineer. 

The holes will be 7 inches but the ceiling is artex so would be impossible to fill in and would need skimming over. And if the ceiling is more damaged we will be left with the bill.  Further more they want us to take up the floorboards which we don’t feel comfortable doing incase we damage. 

zoemk12

Although what If the structure is supported but not in a way that would meet current building regs but would’ve been fine at the time? 

p_mc_2

sammyjammy said:

zoemk12 said:

Its unlikley that there is a support beam in place as it would be difficult to contain that within the thickness of the floor.
how would you know, (Not being funny just curious)? It’s been like this for at least 18 years so wouldn’t it start sagging? 

Did your building survey pick this up when you bought the property?

My partner brought the hse 12 years ago, didn’t have a survey! 

I have a chimney breast in one of my bedrooms that was removed at kitchen level and replaced by metal support I beam, it is pretty obvious as there is a square shape at the top of the ceiling where it is contained, if someone wanted to see it for themselves I could just lift a floor board in the bedroom.

The beam would be likely to be deeper than the floor thickness if its 'supporting' two storeys of chimney. Dependent on span of course and direction of floor joists also (would the beam be carrying the joists, or are the joists parallel to party wall?). 

Not all structural failure start with sagging. The wrong wind conditions, alterations by neighbours, or further alterations in your own home (open plan living etc) can bring about imediate failure.

building surveyor for 30 years ... but tend to stay away from residential if I can help it

martindow

Gallows brackets used to be used although not permitted now.  I'm not sure that they would be obvious once everything was made good.

zoemk12

So do you mean the ceiling in the dinning room would not be flat? 

We too have a square shape on the ceiling as the OP has said. 

It is a party wall. Not sure about the joists. 

Fair enough. What is it’s been supported using methods from pre current regs, gable bracket? Does that still need to be changed? 

thank you for taking the time to give a professional opinion. 

I guess we will agree to the retention and see what the structural engineer has to say. We will want to influence any work though as her dad is a builder and we’re paying 5k for him to do the work for free!